1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a cabinet system and more particularly to a cabinet system constructed using standardized components.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cabinets may be constructed in either the inset or the overlay configuration. In the inset configuration, the door end adjacent the side panel lies on the interior side of the side panel. When the door is opened, the hinge mechanism connecting the door with the side panel allows the door end to swing and rotate outwardly from the side panel such that the door is substantially parallel to the side panel in the fully opened position.
In the overlay configuration, the door end adjacent the side panel lies adjacent the side panel. Again, the hinge mechanism connecting the door to the side panel allows the door end to swing and rotate outwardly from the end of the side door during opening such that the door is substantially parallel to the side panel in the fully open position.
Producing cabinets having either the inset or the overlay configuration requires the use of differently machined door panels and side panels, i.e. panels with different bore configurations. A plurality of bores are machined onto the side panels for accepting mounting screws to attach the hinge mechanism to the side panels. The setback distance, which is the distance between the bores and the edge of the side panel depends on the desired configuration. Generally, the bores associated with the inset configuration are required to be further away from the end of the side panel than the bores used for the overlay configuration. This difference in set back distance requires different bore configurations for the panels used in the two types of cabinets.
Additionally, a large diameter bore, i.e. a hinge cup, is required to be machined onto the door panel for accepting the recessed portion of the hinge mechanism. Again, the location of the hinge cup varies depending on whether the inset or the overlay configuration is desired. In particular, the tab distance, which is the distance between the edge of the bore and the hinge of the door panel, depends on the desired configuration.
The requirement of differently machined door panels and side panels for different configurations increases the time, effort and equipment necessary to produce the desired cabinet style. The additional time, effort and equipment leads to reduced efficiency as well as to increased cost due to the additional considerations. Further, the requirement of differently bored door and side panels requires the cabinet manufacturer to keep a sufficient inventory of the differently bored door and side panels on hand. This requires the manufacturer to track the inventory to insure that there is neither a surplus nor a shortage of the required parts and also to insure that sufficient storage space is available to keep adequate numbers of the differently bored panels available. These additional considerations again reduce efficiency and raise costs.
Therefore, what is needed is a cabinet system and a method for manufacturing cabinets which utilize standard, identically bored panels to form various cabinet configurations.